Where can I get a wiring diagram for the '90 Camry?

I've been having battery problems and I found that I had a short in my electrical system. It must be a frayed wire. I have no idea where to look or even how to test the wires. This might be a little over my head to do along but I was wondering if anyone has had any experience finding shorts in their electrical system and if there are any usual suspects I can check before I bring it into the shop. This car has been giving me problems for a while and I'm debating whether or not I should give up on it. It's got a hard 145k miles on it and it seems the past owner of this car hasn't treated it very kindly. Is this something I can find myself?

Reply to
joe54345
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Joe. How about you tell us a little more? What kind of batt trouble do you have? How did you determine that you have a short? Any blown fuses?

Reply to
yjrybano2spam

Sorry, this thread will provide a little background

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a new battery died on me twice so I sought out the advice of a friend who told me to take the negative battery cable off for five minutes then lightly tap it on the terminal. If it sparks I have a short in my system somewhere - probably a frayed wire. It did spark and I asked him how do I find the frayed wire and he said that I'd have to take it into a shop. I thought I'd try here first to see if anyone else has had this problem or if I could check the wiring system myself. I can't find any visible signs of a short. No lights staying on - I did here a clicking sound once behind my dashboard when I turned my car off a while back and it seemed to have something to do with the automatic door locks - but then it never happened again. Could it be something as simple as replacing the fuse for my auto door locks?

Reply to
joe54345

The wiring system on Camrys is generally excellent. Two weak spots I would check are the wiring harness bundles that flex when opening doors and trunk. The procedure as I understand it for tracking voltage leaks is to place an ammeter between the negative battery terminal and the cable, then remove fuses one by one until the current flow disappears, then focus on the circuits controlled by that particular fuse.

Reply to
Daniel

Forgot to mention, once you get in narrowed down to a specific fuse, the Owner's manual should list the functions controlled by that fuse.

Reply to
Daniel

Joe. I read the thread

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and if you reread it therewere couple of posters that mentioned the use of an ammeter to checkthe current draw while the car is NOT running.This is the best method to troubleshoot your problem if you can't ordon't want to bring it to a shop. Disconnecting and re-connecting thebattery is not a reliable method of determaining if there is a short-ifyou don't know what the spark should look like.another poster suggested you take it to Autozone again, to let themcheck it(if they'll do it for you).Couple of things you may try, I know that you said that you checked tosee if the are any lights left on, did you check the trunk and glovecompartment lights to make sure they don't stay on?.The car has a box that contains 3 fusible links that feed everythingelectrical in the car, I don't have the car anymore so I don't knowexactly where it's located(it might be right at the battery positiveterminal, or follow the heavy positive cable)if the fusible links canbe disconnected, disconnect them one at a time and see if the battstill draines, at least it could narrow the problem to one particularcircuit. HTH JerryR

Reply to
yjrybano2spam

Ok, I'll go purchase an ammeter and do the fuse thing. Should I only be pulling the fuses next to the battery or are there others under the dashboard?

Reply to
joe54345

Joe. You can start with the fuses in the engine compartment, and if that does not help you localize the problem area, continue with the fuses under the dash. BTW were you able to find the fusible links that I mentioned in a previous post? JerryR

Reply to
yjrybano2spam

I did find the fusible links they were right on the positive terminal. Do I just pull them out with a pliers? and if I find one is the culprit how do I find which corresponding wires to check? I'll have to wait until the weekend to try this. I'm at work all day and when I get home it's dark. I've been disconnecting the negative cable at night so it doesn't drain the battery.

Reply to
joe54345

joe. I don't know how to disconnect the fusible links, I don't have the 90 any more so I can't look, sorry. Once you disconnect them ONE AT A TIME, and measure the current thru each one of them, at least one of the 3 should show a high current. I believe Normal current with EVERYTHING OFF should be around 20-50ma, (at least that's what my 97 draws) I would suspect anything higher. Get yourself an ammeter(or multimeter) that can measure from Milliamps to few amps range, and post back with your results. Once you identify which one of the 3 draws high current, we can then follow that leg. If you need help hooking up the ammeter post back. HTH JerryR

Reply to
yjrybano2spam

check these things first. Wiring in the trunk near the hinge can short out, wiring going to both doors can short out, look there first, these are the only wires that move in the car. Look at your battery cables make sure they are tight to the starter and ground. Any corrosion on the cables? Broken cable end? Get a bettery battery too. You said guy tested the alternator without the car running? No way. You may need new alternator brushes, your alter nator belt may be loose or a combination of all these things. You dont have an aftermarket alarm system or radio do you? If you do suspect them.

Reply to
Rob

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